This must be one of the hardest prompts for me, as art in a RPG is almost as important to me as the game itself. A good cover opens the word inside the book, it entices like a siren song. And the interior art then builds upon that feeling, drawing you inside the world, creating this new reality you will walk in and make your own.
I simply can’t decide on just the one, so I will cheat a bit and offer you a list of three choices.
Tales of the Lance Boxed Set
Dragonlance was the love of my early teenage years. It was my discovery, and after a dice set the second gaming thing I bought. The art played no small part of it. Majority of the art inside are iconic paintings, made by iconic artists, in the golden age of AD&D. You show me a piece of art inside, odds are I’ll have a nostalgia moment about it. My bucket list dream is to have Death of Sturm print on my wall … and one day I will.
Polaris: Chivalric Tragedy At Utmost North
I have been in love with the simple line art ever since Cyberpunk 2013, up to more modern games that utilise the style like Scum and Villainy and Band of Blades. But the one that takes it away with quality and the overall fit with the game it supports is Polaris. The images are iconic, de facto an in-world artefact. This game is a work of art on many levels, the art proper being just one of them.
Cortex Prime
The GURPS of narrative games, Cortex prime features a wide range of artists, styles, and depicted scenes. Fitting for a toolkit more than a ready to go game. The art choices are stunning and evocative.
Alternative Prompt: Art
When I hear art in the context of an RPG I think of illustrations. Just take a look at my reply to the initial prompt of the day.
But there is more to it, I’d say. Some games manage to transcend the difficult mixture of a rule book, mood book, guide, and whatnot that a RPG book needs to cover. In some rare cases the text itself is so profound it becomes art.
Apocalypse World is one such book, a book that had deeper impact on me as a person. I can’t even put it to words today, so many years later.